Cattle-guard.



T. MORIARTY. CATTLE GUARD. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 23, 1909.

Patented Apr. 5,1910.

M Q Q i t m his a ttorney.

TIMOTHY MORIARTY, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

CATTLE-GUARD.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Application filed. August 23, 1909. Serial No. 514,256.

To all whom "it may concern.

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY MORIARTY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and Stateof Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCattle- Guards, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cattle guards and comprises thenovel parts and combinations of parts which will be hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to improve and simplify such devices andto make them more efficient.

In the drawings accompanying this specifi'cation I have shown my deviceembodied in the form which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my device. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevationtaken on the line A, A, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side view of my device.Fig. 4: is a detail sect-ion illustrating the means employed fordetachably securing the guard sections to the supporting beams. Fig. 5is a detail section showing the means employed for attaching thesuspension members to the beams.

In designing my improved cattle guard it has not been my intention torely wholly upon making it physically impossible or diflicult for stockto pass over it, but, in addition to this, to make the conditions ofpassage such as to act upon the fears of the stock to turn them back,thereby making it probable that any animal attempting the passage would,at the outset, be persuaded to turn back and give up the attempt. Indoing this I have mounted the guard members upon supporting beams or aframe, and support this frame or the beams so that they may swing freelywithin certain limits. An animal stepping upon this swinging platformand feeling it yield under its feet, will hardly continue its attempt topass over.

The character of the guard members employed may vary. As a simple, cheapand effective form, I prefer wooden bars 1, which are also preferablybeveled upon their upper surface, as shown. The simplest form ofsupporting frame consists of beams 2, which extend transversely of andbeneath the track rails 3. I have shown three of these in the drawings.These beams occupy spaces between the ties, which spaces should becleared of ballast sufficiently to permit a free swinging movement ofthe beams. I have shown the supporting beams 2 as consisting of oldsteel rails, as such material is usually plentiful and cheap aboutrailroad shops and besides, is very well adapted for this purpose. Theymay, however, be made of any suitable material. These beams should besufliciently long to cover the entire width of the space to be coveredby the guard. I provide elevated supports for these beams ateach side ofthe track and support them at their ends by suspension from saidelevated supports, this connection being such as will permit freeswinging within certain limits. The elevated supports shown andpreferred consist of a beam 4 at each side of the track, carried uponposts 5, which latter may be conveniently mounted upon ties 30 of extralength. The suspension means shown consist of chains 6, which connectthe elevated beams 4: and the transverse floor beams 2. Any other formof device may be used for this purpose which connects these partsflexibly so as to permit swinging as described. The method of connectingthese chains with the beams as shown is best illustrated in Fig. 5, andconsists in using a clamp or socket member 51, adapted to fit over thebase of the rails and having an eye bolt 50 or rivet secured thereto. Asthe cross or floor beams 2 must be lower than the rails 8 forming thetrack, and the guard bars 1, must be higher than the ties, I employfiller blocks or bars 20, between the beams 2 and bars 1.

I make the flooring of my device removable in sections so that it maybe' taken up and out of the way in order that the road bed at this pointmay be accessible for easy maintenance. Three sections, one for the partbetween the track rails and one at each side of the track is all that isneeded for convenience. The bars for each of these sections are securedto transverse connecting members which preferably, are placed over thebeams 2. In the construction shown these connecting members consist ofiron plates 10, which are separable from the filler bars 20, althoughthe filler bars 20 may also act .as connecting members. .I have shownthese plates 10 as provided with holes 11, which are adapted to pass theheads of securing bolts 7, which engage the cross beams 2. These boltshave eccentrically placed heads, projecting mainly at one side, and maybe turned so as to hold the sections in place or to permit theirremoval. In this way any section may be quickly removed and replaced,facilitating a proper care of the road bed at this point.

Experience has proven that cattle will not, of their own volition, passover such a swinging guard. On setting foot upon the platform it yieldsand swings away and the animal will back off and will not try it again.To-install this cattle guard necessitates no pit and leaves the surfacenormal. hen installed the clearance is whatever desired and there isnothing to trap and hold animals and thereby cause accidents. Thematerials used are largely scrap which has little value. It is durableand, except for the wooden bars, practically indestructible, while thebars may be renewed at slight cost.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. A cattle guard comprising a grillage between the rails, supportingmembers outside the rails and a suspension support connecting thegrillage and the supporting members and permitting the grillage toswing.

2. A cattle guard comprising two beams, one at each side, without andparallel with the rails, a guard section between the rails and means forsuspending said guard section from said beams to permit the guardswmging.

3. A cattle guard comprising beams extending crosswise the track andbeneath the rails, suspension supports for said beams without the railspermitting them to swing, and guard bars carried by said beams.

4. I11 a railroad cattle guard, in combina tion, supporting beamsextending across the track beneath the track rails and free to move,elevated supports outside of and at each side of the track, suspendingmembers connecting said supports and the beams, and guard memberscarried by said beams.

5. In a rail road cattle guard, in combination, an elevated beam at eachside of the track and extending parallel therewith, beams extendingacross the track and beneath the rails, flexible suspension membersconnecting the two sets of beams to permit swinging of the lower set,and guard members carried by the lower set of beams.

6. In a railroad cattle guard, in combination, posts at each side of anddisposed along the track, a section of rail supported by said posts ateach side of the track, rail sections extending transverse the track andbeneath the rails thereof, suspension members having flexibleconnections with said transverse and parallel rail sections, and guardmembers carried by said transverse rails.

7. In a rail road cattle guard, in c0mbination, beams extendingtransversely of and beneath the track rails, suspension supports forsaid beams permitting a free swinging movement, guard members, and meansfor removably securing the guard members to said transverse beams,whereby they may be readily removed and replaced.

8. In a rail road cattle guard, in combination, beams extendingtransversely of and beneath the track rails, suspension supports forsaid beams permitting a free swinging movement, guard members securedtogether in sections adapted respectively to occupy the spaces betweenthe rails and at each side the track, and means for removably securingsaid sections to the transverse beams.

9. A rail road cattle guard having guard members secured together insections adapted to occupy respectively the spaces between and outsidethe track rails, beams extending across and beneath the track rails, anelevated beam at each side of and without the rails, suspensionconnection between said elevated and the transverse beams, and means forremovably securing said sections to the said transverse beams wherebythey may be removed and replaced at will.

10. In a railroad cattle guard, in combi nation, guard members, metalplates securing said guard members together in sections, said plateshaving holes adapted to pass securing bolts and their heads, andsecuring bolts having eccentrically projecting heads adapted to beturned to secure or release said plates.

11. In a railroad cattle guard, in combination, frame members or beams,swinging supports therefor, guard members, plates securing said guardmembers in sections and having holes adapted to pass securing bolts .andtheir heads, securing bolts held by said frame members and havingeccentrically placed heads, whereby said guard sections may be removedand replaced at Will.

12. In a railroad cattle guard, in combination, beams extending acrossand beneath the track rails, elevated supports outside the track rails,swinging supporting members connecting said elevated supports and thetransverse beams, guard bars, plates connecting said guard bars insections, ofiset-head bolts having holding engagement with thesupporting frame and adapted to engage said sections, whereby saidsections may be readily secured or released as desired.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 16th dayof August, 1909, at Seattle, WVashington, in the presence of thesubscribing witnesses.

TIMOTHY MORIARTY.

Witnesses:

W. B. STRATTON, PETER PRATT.

